Service virtualization underlies an emerging class of tools for modeling SOA components. Using a new form of simulation, development teams can now work with representations of software services long before they are actually available.

That addresses some of the biggest bottlenecks in creating high-quality composite applications, and it helps would-be Agile development efforts that must keep up with fast-moving Web applications.

“This is the first step towards real-life construction of an artificial chemical brain with well-defined architecture of connections between artificial neurons,” said professor Andy Adamatzky at the University of the West of England (UWE). “It will be a massive parallel computer made of lipid bubbles.”

The multicast protocol for adding broadcast-like functionality to the Internet has been around for nearly two decades. Various technical limitations, however, have impeded its widespread adoption. Could it be making a comeback?

Yes, if for no other reason than the advent of IPv6, which activates IP multicast by default. It may also gain traction by way of secure multicast for advanced repeating of television (SMART), a technology developed by Ventura CA-based startup Worldcast.

Researchers at the University of Maryland and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a screen-capture–based scripting environment that could signal a new programming paradigm that leverages the graphical interface as a sort of API. The Sikuli system lets users with minimal programming experience use GUI screen shots to create scripts that interact with applications. Ultimately, it will open opportunities to develop scripts that touch multiple applications without requiring any understanding of the underlying programs APIs.

Siemens scientists are working with the Heinrich Hertz Institute the Visible Light Communication (VLC) project. VLC uses white-light-emitting diode (LED) technology to transmit data at 500 Mbits per second over 5 meters. “This is much faster than other VLC work using this type of LED by a long shot,” said Dominic O’Brien, an engineering science researcher at the University of Oxford. This beats the previous record of 200 Mbps set by the same group and is much faster than current Wi-Fi technologies, which operate at speeds up to 150 Mbps with 802.11n.

A University of Washington researcher is developing a system to make it easier for individuals and companies monitor “home” activity by using strategically placed sensors on air, water, gas, and electrical infrastructure. Assistant professor Shwetak Patel calls his approach infrastructure-mediated sensing (IMS).

IMS uses a single sensor in a strategic place to measure pressure signals in air vents and waterlines as well as electrical signals in power lines. Machine-learning technologies correlate physical events such as turning on a light, flushing a toilet, or opening a door with different signals. According to Patel, IMS’s primary goal is to reduce the economic, aesthetic, installation, and maintenance barriers to home monitoring by reducing the cost and complexity of deploying and maintaining and activity-sensing infrastructure.Patel said that in large volumes the water, pressure, and power sensors will cost as little as US$50 each.